Bumps and Rolls and Wrist Locks, Oh My…

We were told on week one that week two (bumps week) would be the hardest training session of our wrestling careers. And to buy knee pads and also elbow pads if you felt the need. Like how else am I meant to take that besides “I AM GOING TO DIE”. After Bree and I went on a trip around the world (or what felt like it anyway), we finally found knee pads the day before. Which meant I was ready to take on bumps week.

Now that I look back at it, I shouldn’t have been so scared of taking bumps. In fact, I quite enjoy taking bumps if I’m going to be honest. But as I braced myself for bumps week, I was terrified. I was in on my own head, anxious, scared, and didn’t want to do it. But I did it. Back bumps, front bumps, flip bumps, handstand bumps, jumping back bumps, the lot. It hurt like hell. But the day after felt like I had been hit by a truck.

In the first half of my introductory course, we learned rolls – front roll, dive roll, back roll, left shoulder roll, right shoulder roll – and revised them a lot. We also learned basic transition holds from a lock up, including wrist lock, side headlock, hammer lock, rear waist lock, including how to reverse them.

One thing that I notice, and that will forever be a thing, is angles. As a wrestling fan, I thought you could just slap on a headlock and Bobsuruncle. But when you’re actually wrestling, you need to be wary of angles in the ring, and also the placement of feet, or footwork. Which makes sense, really. Why would you put someone in a wrist lock near the ropes and face the corner when you could do it in the middle of the ring and face the audience?

Inspiration

MY PARENTS

Growing up, I was raised in believing I could do and be anything I wanted. This is because my parents raised me well. They have never pushed me to something I didn’t want to do – well, besides play spot when I was clearly a dancer, but I have forgiven them for that – and they have been proud of everything I do and excel at.

When I first made the decision to start wrestling, I withheld that piece of information from them, fearing that they would say I was “wasting my time” or “you could be doing something better with your time, like pursuing journalism”. I think it was a week or two after my first day at APWG that I told them, and their reaction could honestly be summed up in two words: “Oh okay”.

Needless to say, I shouldn’t have doubted their unwavering support of me in everything I do. I can pursue this dream of mine because of them, and I thank them every day for allowing me to do what I love.

The day I realised I can’t punch to save my life…

After some bumps, rolls and chain wrestling revision, we began to learn new exciting things, like splashes and strikes. Some of the splashes we learned included a standard jumping splash, a senton (or for Dylan, the Senton of Death), elbow drops, leg drops, and elbow drops to the leg.

It’s now that I will mention what a keeper is. When Leigh or Diego or any experienced wrestler tells me that a certain move is a keeper, that means I did it well to the point that I need to keep it and add it to my move list. My first keeper was a leg drop, which was initially not something I had in mind of adding to my moveset, but if Leigh thinks it’s a keeper, then I will keep it.

Strikes week is easily described as the second worst day of training in a wrestler’s career. Basically, you pair off, and hit each other with different strikes until it’s time for the next one. Also we had Diego and Drew Fulton walk around and give everyone a strike so we could get used to it. The strikes learned were punches to face, chops, forearm smashes to the head, clubs to the back, kicks to the leg and the shoulder, boots to the face/shoulder, clotheslines, back elbows, and dropkicks. While none of them were keepers, I had good feedback stating that I had big body language, which would help with my wrestling down the track.

Also, I can’t punch. Diego’s exact words were “Throw a punch, Nikki!” to which my response was “I can’t!” Forearms? I’m good with. Clotheslines? Relatively decent. Punches to the face? Would rather die.

My first day…

Words cannot begin to describe how nervous I was to start this journey. It was very out of my comfort zone and a small part of me wanted to turn around and go home. For starters, I am a bit of a germaphobe who doesn’t like other people touching me, especially if I’m not comfortable with them. Wrestling involves lots of different people touching you and there is no way around it. So you’d think I wouldn’t be okay with it. But I didn’t want to be a quitter, especially at something that is so me.

My wrestling journey starts at The Australian Pro Wrestling Gym, where the training is held at Fit 4 All Gym in Penrith, NSW, training with Leigh Leslie and Diego Retamales. I walked in and saw the advanced class training, and a bunch of curious newbies watching them, and again I saw another opportunity to turn around and leave. I was even messaging a friend in the carpark, asking her why the hell I was doing this. But Leigh caught me, asked me if I was here for wrestling. I nodded my head, and stood awkwardly as we watched these people wrestle around with each other.

There was no turning back. I was locked into it now. After the initial sign up to the gym and to APWG, it began. At the beginning, there were about 12 of us eager to learn. Leigh inducted us on the general basics of pro wrestling and also what to expect when it comes to indy wrestling in Australia and around the world.

One of the most important things I took from my first induction week was the etiquette of respect in the wrestling business. You don’t just turn up, wrestle, and then leave. You get to the venue hours beforehand, help set up the ring, and do anything and everything you can in assisting to make sure the show goes as smoothly as possible. Also, when you turn up to training or to an event, it is imperative that you shake everyone’s hand and introduce yourself if necessary. Again, not a fan of touching people, especially shaking hands because hand shakes transfer the most germs between people so this was very out of my comfort zone, but I had to get used to it.

We didn’t do too much physical work on the first day. We learned the basics of a lock up – again, out of my comfort zone, especially getting so intimate with someone I had literally just met – and also the framework of taking back bumps and front bumps.

Inspiration…

KURT ANGLE
In my opinion, if you want to be a great wrestler, you need three things: athleticism and the ability to wrestle well, microphone skills and cutting excellent promos, and a great character and the ability to play said character effectively. Kurt Angle had four of those three.

While Sable will always be my favourite wrestler, when it comes down to the whole package, I can comfortably say that Kurt Angle was the best professional wrestler to ever step foot in a ring, and will probably always be the greatest. People will argue and say that The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart are the best, and arguably so, but in my opinion, Kurt Angle trumped all of them. Kurt was well-rounded and was good at everything, not just certain things.

If someone were to ever ask me who my dream opponent would be, I would say Kurt Angle. He could honestly wrestle a broomstick and put on a five-star match. My favourite match of his would have to be him vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21. Watch it for yourself and try argue with me that Kurt isn’t the GOAT.

Stay tuned to my wrestling journal, as week two of my introductory course nearly made me break down in tears.

You know me as having several different titles: blogger, author, pole dancer, vegetarian, journalism graduate. And now you can add another to the list: professional wrestler.

Come enjoy this ride with me as I take on one of the toughest tasks of my life, and enjoy every little moment of it along the way.

The backstory…

I grew up watching wrestling. The earliest memories I have of wrestling go all the way back to 1997. While I watched both WCW and the then-WWF, the latter was my preferred viewing choice. The earliest memory I have of WWF was in 1998 in what I thought to be a groundbreaking storyline – Sable vs Jacqueline over the newly re-instated WWF Women’s Championship. To me, Sable was it. She had the looks, the athleticism, the charisma – everything a WWF superstar needed. The fans loved her. I loved her. And I wanted to be just like her.

It was because of Sable’s influence that I finally decided to embark on this journey to become this crazy thing they call a pro wrestler. I will put in 110% in my wrestling training and nothing less will be acceptable. I will travel the world in my efforts to become the best wrestler I can be. And most importantly, I will become a WWE superstar.

Inspiration…

SABLE

As mentioned previously, my biggest inspiration to become a pro wrestler was Sable. She was originally hired to be arm candy, but her star shone so bight that they had no choice but to make her into the ultimate superstar. As she made her switch from valet to wrestler, she proved her doubters wrong by becoming a strong and powerful force to be reckoned with.

How someone could command the attention of everyone in the room amazed me. I wanted to have the same power as she did. Sable wasn’t the best “wrestler” by any means, but she will always be remembered as one of the greatest superstars to ever step foot in a WWE ring. In my opinion, if Sable ever had an ego backstage, she had every right to. She was, simply put, amazing.

What I may lack in the physical department – I’m not the most strong or athletic by any means – I can make up for in personality and character. Just like Sable.

The training…

I went on my two last US trips to try and find myself and figure out where I fit in this world. While I had graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, and I did truly enjoy the industry, I never thought that journalism was my passion. It was something that I was good at, and that was it. And I had feelings that journalism wasn’t the right fit for me, so I took a break from it, worked a lot, and went travelling to find myself. When I got back from my trip at the end of 2016, it dawned on me that I was 24-years-old and I was still young and fit, and these were my “yolo years”. And the answer to what I was meant to do with my life was the same answer I had when I was seven-years-old: pro wrestling.

I had always wanted to try out pro wrestling, but was too scared to go by myself. I tried to drag friends along with me before, but it never worked out. But I was a grown ass man. I could make a decision like this for myself by myself. One quick Google search later, and I had stumbled upon The Australian Pro Wrestling Gym. Long story short, a few e-mails later, and I had officially signed up to an introductory course to pro wrestling.

If you’ve read my debut novel The Heart Wants What It Wants and you are eagerly waiting for what happens next in the saga, then I have a treat for you! The sequel of the contemporary romance novel is set to release later this year and is entitled Lighthouse, and I’ve decided to share a portion of the first chapter for free! Just like the title of the first book made sense a bit into the story, Lighthouse will become clear as you read the sequel.

Now I should mention that if you choose to read further, there are OBVIOUS SPOILERS REGARDING THE FIRST BOOKof the series, so if you haven’t read The Heart Wants What It Wants and wish to, I highly suggest you don’t read any further. If you wish to purchase The Heart Wants What It Wants, follow this link for several e-book options.

The sequel to my debut novel will be released soon! Watch this space!

At the end of The Heart Wants What It Wants, Jase Morgan got his happy ending with Jordan McMahon, and Devlin Blackthorn wandered the world trying to find himself after suffering the heartbreak of his unrequited love. The friendship between the two main characters had been salvaged, but Devlin felt incomplete. After a drunken night in Las Vegas and one bad decision, Devlin found himself married to the arrogant and charming Atticus Brady. And this is where Lighthouse begins.

Similar to the format of The Heart Wants What It Wants, Lighthouse goes into a first person perspective of both of the main characters – Devlin Blackthorn and Atticus Brady. For the Jase fans, don’t worry; Prince Charming makes his presence well known in this sequel.

Without further ado, here is a sneak preview of Chapter One of Lighthouse! Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Devlin Blackthorn

Early-mid 2015…

I couldn’t imagine alcohol would be the cause of anything worse than last year – oh God, last year – but here I was, sitting in my apartment, staring at the impressive rock on my ring finger, wondering what the hell happened that fateful night in Las Vegas.

A handsome stranger – whom I admittedly despised from the get go – bought me a couple of drinks and after some very fuzzy details, I woke up next to him in bed legally married to him. Just another tragic wedding story to be added to Las Vegas’ archive.

If I needed a bigger slap in the face to stop drinking alcohol than almost losing my best friend, it was marrying someone I had only known for a few hours. Even though I was wrapped up on my warm bed in my sheets, I shivered. Married. I still didn’t know how to comprehend the fact that I was married.

Despite absolutely hating the idea of being married to someone I didn’t know – and I wasn’t exactly sure of his current whereabouts after leaving him in Vegas – I did quite like the ring he had chosen out for me. Sitting next to the more conservative platinum wedding band was a small yellow diamond surrounded by tiny, encrusted silver gems that complimented the modest, silver design; if it told me anything about my mysterious husband, it said that he had nice taste in jewellery, and a lot of money to irrationally spend on it.

I could barely make out the face of the man who had been lawfully wed to me in front of an Elvis impersonator and, God, I don’t even know who else. He was tall and handsome, with a lean, muscular build, and was arrogant as all hell. That’s all I could remember about Atticus.

Atticus…

Something told me I had to get used to that name for the foreseeable future. Well, of course I had to – he was my husband, after all.

I groaned out loud and sunk my head back into the soft cushioning of the pillow. I hadn’t told anyone of my Vegas wedding; not Jase, not Jordan, not my brother Garrett, not even my loyal confidante Monique. I could just imagine Jase’s reaction in my head, and it was enough to make me cringe.

“You what?!” he would shout at me. “Why on earth would you do something as careless and irresponsible as that? As a matter of fact, why were you drinking in the first place? You need to get your life together, Dev.”

I would be lying if I said a small part of me wasn’t still madly in love with Jase. In fact, I’d also be lying if I said a small part of me wasn’t about to use this surprise marriage as a way to show him that I was going to move on from him, as difficult as it was. The year 2014 had been hell for us, and I was glad that somehow, someway, we had come out of the other end of the tunnel barely functioning. I was going to let Jase live his life and hope that I would be in it as much as I was before.

Dwelling on my infatuation for Jase only briefly distracted me from my current situation. What on earth was I going to do?

I was sitting on my bed in Sydney, the evening before I was scheduled to move back to Velvet Springs, and this platinum circle was burning into my ring finger, reminding me of how awful my getaway escape had been. I couldn’t wait to get home and be in a familiar setting, even if it meant revealing to Jase what I had done in Vegas.

After having months off work, I couldn’t wait to get back into my writing at the Velvet Chronicle. Although the sport reporter position had been filled after my quick departure, Harvey, my editor and friend, had found a spot for me on the features team for the newspaper after my moderate amount of success in the same role at Isla Bordeaux magazine. I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity handed to me, but it certainly wasn’t the first thing on my mind right now.

There was a feint knock on my door and, sighing with relief, I got up to answer it. I had ordered a box of greasy cheese pizza to be delivered after I had finished packing; I wanted to spend my last night in the state’s capital with no regrets.

I fished the twenty-dollar note out of my back pocket and opened the door.

“Devlin?”

Oh. No. It couldn’t be… no. There was no way.

I panicked and bounced off the spot, throwing my fist out in an uncharacteristic knee-jerk reaction. The shot caught him on his eye and he let out a quick yelp of pain, but remained rooted to the ground.

I just Superman punched my husband.

“Atticus? What the f-”

“You seem surprised to see me,” he said, his brows furrowing in anger.

Watch this space. As soon as Lighthouse is released on various e-book platforms, Widow’s Lure will be the first to let you know!